


Lorne's City

by mandykaysfic



Category: Stargate Atlantis
Genre: Gen, SGA Reverse Big Bang Challenge 2012
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-03-08
Updated: 2014-03-08
Packaged: 2018-01-15 00:31:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,087
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1284523
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mandykaysfic/pseuds/mandykaysfic
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Lorne goes missing. Sheppard's team sets off to find him.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Lorne's City

"Let's go over it one more time, Lieutenant Reed." Colonel Sheppard exchanged a glance with Dr Weir. Lorne's picture had been one of those circulated on the most wanted list. It wasn't inconceivable that someone other than the Genii decided they needed an Ancient gene carrier for purposes of their own.

Reed reiterated the highlights in dot points. Welcome by the town's officials. Doctor Parrish and Agriculture Minister Falsdot leaving for the Agridome to inspect the Barone's grain grafting program. Coughlin accompanying them on Major Lorne's orders. Reed himself going with Major Lorne, touring the other facilities at the invitation of Chief Ronson and Trade Minister Halson. Visiting their main architectural treasures - town hall, library, museum, several halls of worship. Coughlin reporting Dr Parrish's request to remain longer at the Agridome. Lorne agreeing, and then asking Minister Halson for permission to return to the museum. He paused and stared past Dr Weir's shoulders at one of the Ancient wall sculptures, but his military precision failed to disguise the extent of his concern.

"When we went back, he headed straight for one of the displays in a small side room. He seemed particularly taken with one artifact. It looked Ancient, but nothing happened that anyone noticed when he picked it up. Maybe it was broken or something," he offered, sending an apologetic glance to Sheppard, whose predilection for getting himself and his team into trouble after coming in contact with Ancient technology was practically legendary. Lorne's team's strike rate remained significantly lower, even with the inclusion of the current situation. 

"Maybe." Sheppard's lips twisted wryly. "Tell us more about the artifact."  
Weir broke in. "You're quite sure Major Lorne didn't break some taboo by handling it?"

"I'm certain, Dr Weir, but the Barones themselves didn't seem to expect it to do anything. Besides, we were encouraged to examine anything that was laid out on the display tables. The more precious items were kept in locked glass cabinets. Chief Ronson was more than happy to tell us what he knew and he seemed to know something about all of them." Reed's lips twisted briefly; Chief Ronson was the epitome of verbose. "His hobby is history and he prides himself on the extent of his knowledge of his people's sacred knowledge. Minister Halson confirmed Ronson knows as much as their official Lore Keeper. He said the artifact represented the key to Ke'shanna - it was only a copy of the real thing."

"Well, naturally a _copy_ of something wouldn't have reacted to the gene."

Reed ignored Sheppard's interruption and continued, "He was quite surprised we hadn't heard of Ke'shanna. It's supposedly some sort of sanctuary, provided by the Ancients for people to go to in times of extreme trouble, although its exact location has been forgotten. It's definitely not Atlantis. We made sure of that." 

"Ke'shanna," murmured Weir, more to herself. She scanned the data currently displayed on her computer, then altered the search parameters. "John, perhaps Teyla or Ronon...?" She nodded to Sheppard, who immediately commed the rest of his team.

"So, a sanctuary for people. No rumors of hidden caches of ZPMs?" wondered Sheppard as they waited. 

"You mean like on Dagan, Sir." All teams had been instructed to look out for anything that resembled the keystones belonging to the Brotherhood of the Fifteen. Reed shook his head. "Nothing like that. I got the impression it was more like some sort of Shangri la. People would be safe there, protected from the Wraith."

"Ke’shanna. Yeah, I know of it. We have tales of a similar place. On Sateda it's called Kimbala, the hidden refuge," said Ronon after Reed explained again about the artifact that had gone missing along with Lorne.

"I, too, know of it." Teyla nodded her agreement. "It has different names on different worlds, and for each it is probably a different place, but it's always described as a safe haven where one could go in times of extreme danger. It is not for everyone. Often only a small group can, or wants to undertake the journey. There they would be fed, healed if necessary and revitalized until it was safe to return to their home. The locations have been lost to all for generations."

"Do you believe there's a chance Lorne somehow worked out the gate address from this key and went to investigate? We still don’t have a suitable alpha site." It would solve one of Atlantis' issues if that were the case, thought Weir, momentarily distracted from the more urgent problem of the missing major.

"Elizabeth–"

"Maybe Major Lorne had his own personal encounter a glowy Ancient priestess, but one that isn't being punished for helping out against the Wraith and will let us stay on her planet if we need to." Rodney kept his gaze on his tablet as he halted Sheppard's protest. He flinched but otherwise ignored the disgruntled _Rodney_ and the kick to his shin that was no secret from the others. 

Teyla sought to get the meeting back on track. "Several worlds claim to have keys in their possession that are said to open the city gates to those in need of sanctuary." 

Rodney muttered something.

"No, Rodney, I don't believe there would be more than one exiled goddess. I can tell you the addresses of two of the planets. My people have traded with both, though not for some time. They are ordinary folk, similar to the Athosians. There were never any indications either resembled Proculus, enjoying living under the special protection of a God, Ancient or otherwise." Teyla conferred briefly with Ronon. "Ronon knows of a third and it should be possible to obtain further information from these people."

"We should send a team back to visit the Barones, see if we can get any new information from them, as well as check out these other _keys_ until we come up with anything more definite," said Sheppard.

Elizabeth nodded once. "I agree."

"Request permission to return to Barone, Sir," said Reed firmly.

Sheppard's eyebrows briefly drew together before he forced his expression back to neutral. The plans he'd already made in his head had included assigning Dr Bolton, one of the engineers who'd successfully had the gene therapy, to the remaining members of Lorne's team and sending them to check out the address Ronon supplied. Reed didn't move, but his expression was eloquent and for John, it was suddenly a no brainer; he'd want the same, he'd _expect_ to be given the same, to search for his team, and he wondered why he'd even considered sending Lorne's team elsewhere when Barone was the best lead they had. 

"Granted," he said after a quick mental rearrangement of the teams. "Take Dr Schumacher and Sgt Henderson with you." Schumacher's diverse degrees included anthropology, psycholinguistics and software engineering. He’d lived with native tribes in Africa and Asia, designed a handful of computer games originally for friends that were now popular within a growing niche market, and even spent a little-advertised year working as a cryptologist for a private company. His natural expression of the ATA gene had secured him a place in the Stargate program and he’d settled on Atlantis as though he’d come home. Henderson had been a crony of Lt Ford's. He wasn’t a permanent member of any gate team; rather he filled in for injured marines or made up numbers when more than the standard four was deemed necessary. 

"Be ready to leave in one hour. Stackhouse's and Bates' teams can check out Teyla's places. We’ll follow up on Ronon's." John barely waited for Elizabeth’s confirmation before pushing back his chair. "We’ll find him."

 

 

P54-2Y3, home to the Lashenen, was somewhere John wouldn’t mind returning. For now, things couldn't have been more awkwardly timed. They'd arrived on the day of the local equivalent of the football championship final and as such, nobody was available to speak with them. Conversation was strictly which team one supported, which player one thought best, the likely winning margin, the health of the _goe-boes_ \- the four-legged animals not unlike horses that were ridden by some of the players – as well as who had secured the best seats with which to see everything and how much one had bet on the outcome. All public services had closed for the day; even the inn traded from beneath a huge marquee erected in a field next to the playing ground. 

The debate over whether they should go back to Atlantis and return the following day or simply stay put overnight didn't last long. They checked in with Elizabeth, who agreed there was a chance of getting some unofficial information; supposedly not everyone would be interested in the match. Rodney, who'd wanted to head back to Atlantis, was eventually placated when it was pointed out he’d have the chance to scan without interruption at least the outside of various buildings and hopefully narrow their search parameters. There was also the promise of a hearty meal from the stall holders who set up in a long meal tent where they served seemingly unlimited servings of meat or fruit stuffed pastries to hungry fans.

"You go with McKay and scan stuff," said Ronon as he tied a green and yellow supporter's ribbon around his wrist. 

"Ronon and I can start talking to the people here," agreed Teyla. She tucked the opposing team's red and blue colors into a pocket, making sure they couldn't be seen, before looping green and yellow around her own wrist. "There are three time periods. Be back for the last, it's the most exciting." She handed John the remaining colors she'd been given by someone who'd been horrified they hadn't been displaying their allegiance. "You'll need these for when you get back."

"Come on. What are you waiting for?" Rodney headed in the direction of the tallest of the buildings, its roof visible over the trees that surrounded the grounds.

John's eyes followed Rodney even as he confirmed details with Teyla and Ronon. He smiled and gestured in Rodney's direction to reassure the few latecomers who eyed him in amazement and wondered why he was leaving as they hurried past him to the game. Rodney could be fast enough when he chose, John thought as he finally caught up just before Rodney reached the roadway.

"Anything?" he enquired.

"It'd have to be a rather large anything to get something useful at this distance." Rodney turned to his left and then swung back to his right. "We'll start with what's over there. It seems to have a large power source of some sort."

When the locals said the whole town went to the game, they meant it. The streets were deserted, although the shouts and cheers from the game rang in the air and kept it from feeling like a ghost town. Rodney confirmed the readings on his computer were indeed from a power source, one of the less common ones utilized by other worlds they'd visited and of little use to themselves. 

They took bets on the purpose of the first building they entered when they found themselves faced with a long row of triple-stacked metal cupboards, each firmly locked even though the building wasn't. Its air exchangers were efficient enough to have removed any hint of chemical residue that might have provided them with a clue. Nothing they could see resembled the key, so John marked it as one to ask the officials about the next day and they moved on to the next. 

Apart from the first building, they seemed to be in the local shopping district. Examining pictures of food adhered to the fronts of the now ubiquitous metal cabinets had worn thin when they realized they couldn’t open the doors. Butcher, green grocer, granary, spice merchant and now the bakery all displayed images of the most appetizing kinds. Rodney wasn’t the only one who stared hungrily, John acknowledged as his stomach rumbled. He decided they should speed things up and get back to the game where they could sample some of the pies. It wasn't as though they were making any headway here. Nothing but locked doors and nobody to provide them with answers. He opened his mouth to tell Rodney of the change in plans before they went into the next shop. 

"Huh."

"What? Have you found something?" John forgot about the pies and tried to look at the readings over Rodney's shoulder.

"There’s no way to lock these doors."

"They are locked."

"Not the cabinets. The entrance doors." 

"Oh." Not exactly a reason to delay going back to Teyla and Ronon, especially when his stomach rumbled again. 

"You’d think they'd lock their doors in the same way they lock up their stock."

"Maybe they figure they don’t need to lock the doors. Listen, if there's nothing else here but locked doors we should go back to Teyla and Ronon. Talk to some people. We might be able to convince one of them to come back here."

"We've been here barely half an hour. There's got to be something here other than food. Let's try that one over there." Rodney pointed to a building on the other side of the street. "For all we know it could be illegal to have bread and…and shoes for sale next to each other."

It was a fair comparison; people had been jailed for less in other places. John trailed after Rodney, constantly checking for signs of life, but the only movement other than themselves was provided by a flock of birds winging their way toward the game field. 

"Now that’s more like it." Rodney examined the row of computer screens. He pulled out the chair in front of one situated halfway along the aisle. He connected his tablet with ease and muttered contentedly under his breath as he initiated a translation program.

John wondered at the predilection these people had for squares and straight lines. Square buildings lining straight streets. Square windows, each with sixteen square panes of glass. Long, straight rows of square cabinets in the shops. And now these perfectly straight rows of square computers. A school, a library, council records – there was no indication as to the purpose of this building. Idly, he touched the corner of a screen with his index finger. He really shouldn't have been surprised when it lit up.

"What did you touch?"

"Nothing." He couldn’t help it, it was an automatic response. He sighed at Rodney's disbelieving expression and confessed. "Only the corner of one of the screens. I wasn’t trying to do anything. What have I done?"

"Actually, in this instance you haven’t activated anything you shouldn’t have. This is a reference center."

"It’s a library."

"Not exactly. Or rather, it's much more than a simple library. As well as what seems to be a complete collection of fiction and non-fiction books, there are records of council meetings dating back decades, complete right up to last week's plans to upgrade the sewage system. It holds everything from trade deals between individuals as well as those the community has made with other towns and other worlds. Do you want to know what the weather was one hundred and forty days ago? It rained for two hours. One thousand days ago? The fog lay low until middle of the day. The medical records are also quite extensive. Ugh!" Rodney pulled a face. "Privacy doesn't seem to be an issue. I really didn't need to know the details, complete with images, of Layla Waddell’s abdominal surgery."

"You're sure that's not some journal article."

"Definitely not a journal article. It's all here. Jaxson Belling had a splinter removed from his finger only yesterday and Freeman Sharde is being treated for impotence. Okay, that's really not something I'd want splashed around if I were Freeman Sharde." 

"Rod-ney!"

"What? Oh, right-"

"Can you get out of the doctors' files and find out if they actually have a key to Ke'shanna or whatever they call it here."

"It's not that easy. No. Wait. Yes, it is. Take a look at this."

The image on the screen slowly rotated, offering the viewer a complete three dimensional perspective. For comparison, Rodney pulled up an image of the Barone's key, scanned from a photo of an illustrated text, which was all the Barones had supplied Reed. They matched.

"Do they have more than a picture? Can you find out where the real thing is?" asked John eagerly.

Rodney touched the main screen twice and pointed to the map now displayed on the screen.

"What are we waiting for? Let's go." John was practically out of the door before Rodney could disconnect his tablet.

 

 

Five hundred yards up and three buildings to the left along at the next cross street they were confronted with another wall of closed cabinets that stubbornly refused to open. 

"We should get someone to come back and open this for us," suggested John after Rodney had tried everything he could think of to open the cabinet that reportedly contained the key.

"At least you're not suggesting C4." After several more vengeful jabs that achieved nothing, Rodney sighed and admitted defeat. "Let's go find Ronon and Teyla."

A roar from the crowd rent the air as they reached the trees that separated the playing field from the town. 

"Sounds exciting," remarked John. He scanned the throngs of people, hoping to see Ronon towering over everyone. "Hold on. We should be wearing team colors." He checked his pockets, searching for the ribbons Teyla had given him.

"How do we find out who's winning?"

"You don’t want to support the underdog?"

"I believe that should be under- _goe-boe_."

John responded with a snort as he handed Rodney the red and blue colors.

"Sheppard. McKay."

"Ronon!"

Neither had noticed Ronon’s presence.

"You should be wearing red and blue," he suggested as he watched John carefully tie the green and yellow ribbons to his tac vest, making sure the ends were tucked out of the way should something go wrong; his own ribbons were now knotted in his hair.

Rodney preened. "Ha! Winning team!"

"No. I figured Sheppard would want to go for the losers."

John grinned as Rodney spluttered. "So, how's it played?”

“Two teams. Riders and runners. Riders pass a ball between themselves. They score points for every brick the ball knocks out of the opposition's wall. The runners have guns to shoot balls of dye. Get hit too many times and you're out. They can also collect fallen bricks as long as some of the wall is still standing and rebuild it." 

John started with the first of a dozen eager questions, but Teyla spoke up. "There is much more to it than that, but it is not why we’re here. Were you successful at finding any information?" She’d joined them part way through Ronon’s explanation.

"They have one. Of course it may be a replica and it probably is, but we couldn’t get at it." Rodney rapidly filled in Teyla and Ronon on the locked cabinets in the unlocked buildings.

"Blood," said Ronon succinctly, as though that explained everything.

"A drop of blood is taken prior to everything," clarified Teyla. "A person's identity is confirmed and a record of their purchase is made. A tally is kept by the computer, which also settles the accounts. We had to register as visitors in order to purchase food. They took blood from both of us. We must pay the Central Collection Agency before we leave and the proceeds will be distributed to the merchants in accordance with the records of our patronage. I believe the cabinets of which you speak will open when the computer identifies you, in order to fairly charge you for goods or services."

Rodney groaned as he looked at John. "People are always way too interested in your blood, and no doubt the computer will pick up on my artificial gene."

Ronon tilted his head. "We're registered." 

"So you are." Rodney eyed him speculatively. "In that case, you and Teyla can pick us up something to eat before we go. I'm starving."

"I don't suppose you found out whether there's anyone particular we should consult before going to find the key." While he was happy to take action first and make amends later when it came to Earth regulations, when it came to the Pegasus galaxy, John would rather ask first if it prevented them ending up in a jail where there was every chance escape would prove impossible without bloodshed. Then there was the chance of acquiring a new ally. 

Teyla considered. "If we use this opportunity solely to examine the key –"

"We might be barking up the wrong tree. Needing it to find Lorne might very well turn out to be moot," interrupted Rodney pessimistically.

"So we look at it now. If it's what it's supposed to be, we come back and find someone in authority and organize to borrow it. If not, you two can settle your accounts and we'll leave. Move on to the next lead."

"It would be prudent to wait until the end of the game before asking someone to assist us," suggested Teyla. "The final round is twice the length of the other two. I believe we'll have enough time to get there and back before the end."

The plan met with everyone's approval, including Rodney’s whose outlook improved once he’d polished off a couple of the meat pastries. 

 

 

"Looks the same to me," said Ronon after comparing the picture on front of the cabinet to that on Rodney's tablet. He looked around the room.

"The reader is here," called Teyla and she placed her hand against an innocuous panel set into the top of a waist-high column near the entrance. When it flashed green, she joined them. After studying the door for a moment, she pressed her finger firmly onto a small mark on the top right hand corner. A small exclamation escaped her lips and she pulled her hand away. "That one stung," she explained. Blood welled on the pad of her finger. "The other readers were not so sharp." 

John pulled a handkerchief from a pocket, but she shook her head and slipped her finger into her mouth.

Ronon reached into the cabinet, ignoring Rodney’s urgent cry to wait until he made sure it was safe.

"Here." He thrust the key toward John.

"Do you feel anything?" asked Rodney after a moment when the key failed to make any of the usual responses they were used to seeing when John handled Ancient technology.

"Nothing definite. It's more like an echo of something." John shook his head. "It feels...old. You getting anything?"

"No."

"Is it genuine?" asked Teyla.

"I think so. In any case, we need to take it back to Atlantis. I need my lab."

"May I see it?" Teyla held out her hand. "It's quite beautiful. Maybe the key is in these markings." 

"A gate address? There had to be some way to get to the sanctuary." Ronon took the key from Teyla. He shook his head. The markings didn’t resemble any of they symbols on the Ring of the Ancestors.

"Maybe it's in code. You wouldn't want anybody, oh, say the Wraith for example, finding your sanctuary," said Rodney as he examined the smooth sides of the inside of the cabinet. "Hey, Teyla, why don't you open some more cabinets while we're here?"

"It'll cost," warned Ronon.

"Exactly how many times do you expect Teyla to prick her finger, McKay?"

"John, if there is anything that will assist us in our search to find Major Lorne I do not mind how many drops of blood are required. Is there anything you particularly wanted to examine, Rodney? We will need to leave soon if we are to find anyone to ask about borrowing the key." 

Rodney flushed. "I guess not. Although I could take a quick look along the rest of the doors; there might be something..." His voice trailed off.

"We'll all look." John wanted his second in command back a little more than any new technology they could come back for. "Five minutes only, is that clear?"

With the four of them each taking a section, they covered a good number of the cabinets, but nobody noticed anything that might be useful. With a collective sigh they headed back to the playing field to watch the green and gold remove the last bricks from the red and blue team's wall in the final minutes of the game. The crowd went wild when it was announced they'd won by the greatest winning margin ever recorded.

They did manage to catch up with the mayor, but as the father of the captain of the winning team, he was too caught up in the celebrations to attend to them. He did however invite the good Colonel Sheppard and his friends to stay the night at his house where he would be happy to attend to them in the morning. Any hope they had of an early start faded away as the party continued on until dawn and the alcoholic beverages flowed freely. 

It was almost noon before the mayor joined them in his reception room. He pressed a hand to his head and squinted at them apologetically. It was the first win for the green and gold team for nine seasons, he explained, and then to achieve the greatest winning margin…. It was also his son’s first tenure as captain, on a _goe-boe_ he’d bred himself. His niece was second runner and his cousin’s son was third. To have three members of one’s family in the team was a great honor; places were fiercely contested, and to think they'd achieved the greatest winning margin!

“I’ll just get a _shafee_ , to clear my head, if you would be so kind as to be patient a little longer, than I’ll escort you to the Record Hall myself. Oh, my head,” he groaned as someone joined them.

“Greetings. I am Jolie, wife of Enry.” The short, plump woman placed the heavily laden tray she carried on the table and bowed to each of the Lanteans in turn. “Enry, I have brought you some _shafee_.”

“Ah, Jolie, you always know what I need.” Enry took the mug of steaming liquid from his wife and sipped it gratefully.

“There is _shafee_ here for each of you, should you wish, and some small cakes as well. Enry, do not forget to eat something before you leave. I must see to Reine. Our son celebrated his team’s win to the utmost. They achieved the greatest winning margin, you know and so he is not so well this morning.” She smiled before bowing once again and hurrying from the room.

“Smells like coffee,” said Rodney. 

“Tastes like coffee,” agreed John, and made a mental note to send another team to enquire about trade opportunities. 

“It clears the head after a long night.” Enry nodded to himself; the visitors’ enthusiasm for _shafe_ e was pleasing. “Shall we go now to the Record Hall?” he asked when everyone had returned empty mugs to the tray. “You shall tell me what you need as we go.”

"Why wasn't _shafee_ available at the game yesterday?" 

"Rodney!"

"You have asked that which everyone wonders." Enry only smiled at Rodney's demanding tone. "The brewing process is long and complicated and does not translate well to a portable unit. So far our best have been unsuccessful at designing one, but that is not why you are here. Speak as we walk, if you please." 

At the Hall Enry waved away both Teyla and Ronon's outstretched hands, paying the blood price himself. "The legend tells us one of the Ring Builders foresaw there would be times when not only the good, the travelers and traders, would use the Rings to go between the stars, but that enemies would also use the Rings for evil. He built a place where those needed it could find sanctuary for a while. They could rest, recover and renew until they returned. It has many names. We know it as Ke'shanna." 

He took the key, a highly polished black crystal etched with several lines of characters, from the cabinet and stared at it for a moment before continuing. "By necessity, the location needed to be kept secret. But how would it be found by those who needed it? The Ring Builder distributed the keys to the worlds under his protection with the promise that every generation would produce a guardian who could activate the key and lead the way to Ke'shanna. Over time, the guardians were culled along with the rest of the people and the way to Ke'shanna was lost. Eventually many of the keys disappeared. We protect ours in the hope that we will one day have a new guardian."

John and Rodney exchanged glances at Enry’s hopeful expression. 

"The Agency hasn't yet informed me whether any of you are he, or she,” he added quickly after bowing to Teyla, “but of course yesterday we were not thinking of business matters. Or perhaps not all of you have registered with the Central Collection Agency?"

"As I explained, we are searching for our missing friend. He handled a replica of a key to Ke'shanna and vanished shortly afterward." As it was obvious Enry wasn't up to date with the Agency data, John carefully neither confirmed nor denied their registered status. "We were hoping your key may provide us with a clue to his whereabouts and that you would consent to our borrowing it to find him."

"Unless you are a Guardian, it would be useless. So, don't you see? Your friend must be a Guardian. This is wonderful! I must inform the Agency immediately. Here." He thrust the key in John's direction and pushed back his chair.

John almost dropped the crystal in desperation lest it react and cause him to be installed as the new Guardian of the Lashenen. He breathed a sigh of relief along with everyone else when Ronon's large hand swooped in and caught it.

"So, we can borrow it for a while" Ronon stared down at Enry, who'd frozen with one hand clasping the back of his chair and the other pressed to his chest at the thought of the key falling to the floor and possibly shattering in front of his eyes. Ronon held the crystal so it caught the light from the window.

"How do we know you won't keep it?" Enry recovered enough to ask.

"We are also hoping to open trade negotiations with your people,” began Teyla smoothly. By the time she finished, Enry had not only agreed to begin trade negotiations the next day, but the deal would also include some _goe-boes_ and a trainer so the Lanteans could field a team in the next turn's competition and some _shafee_ beans, they could also borrow the key to Ke'shanna for seven days on the condition they share the location of Ke'shanna should they be successful in finding it.

John hustled his team through the Gate before the Agency had time to step in and renegotiate the deal.

"Here. See what you can find." John handed the key to Rodney when they were released from the Infirmary. "We'll go and report to Elizabeth."

"Colonel Sheppard, Lieutenant Reed has news," began Elizabeth as they entered the room. Lieutenant Reed sat at the table with Dr Weir.

"We've been able to borrow the Lashenen's key," said John as soon as the door to the conference room closed. 

"The Barone's key wasn't a replica, John. It was the real thing," said Elizabeth, not really hearing John's words.

"A real key?" He forgot his own news and hurriedly slid into a chair.

"Major Lorne's a Guardian."

"What?"

"Actually a Guardian?"

"We know."

John, Teyla and Ronon all spoke at once.

Elizabeth held up her hands. "Quiet! Lieutenant Reed, will you tell Colonel Sheppard and his team what you told me."

"Sir, the artifact that Major Lorne picked up wasn't a copy as we'd been told. It was the real thing. The Lore Keeper has now confessed his cousin's child had 'borrowed' it," Reed added the air quotes for emphasis, "and lost it. He'd replaced it with the genuine key until such time as he found the copy or finished making another. He believes the real key spoke to Major Lorne and he's now in Ke'shanna. The Barones would be greatly appreciative if we would provide them with the location of Ke'shanna once we find Major Lorne and have offered us a more than favorable trade deal in exchange for the information. They want to be prepared for the next Wraith culling and have already begun the task of deciding who of their populace will go to Ke'shanna."

John groaned. "That could be trouble. The Lashenens also want us to tell them the location of Ke'shanna in exchange for the use of their key. Enry was all set to send a bunch of their people along with us. Thankfully Teyla talked him out of it." He ran his hand through his hair. "We don't even know for sure if that's where Lorne is."

"Where is the key?" Elizabeth looked around as though she expected John to have handed it over the key for her immediate inspection as soon as he'd entered the room and was surprised he hadn't.

"McKay has it."

"Very well. Did it respond to you, either of you, in any way?"

"No. Not exactly. As I said to McKay, it mostly felt old. For a moment I did think there might have been something. Whatever it was, it was only fleeting," said John and he pursed his lips. "I should join McKay and see if I can reproduce it while he's got it hooked up to his machines."

"Go. Teyla and Ronon can fill me in on the details. We'll have to tread carefully. If this really is the key to Ke'shanna and its purpose really is to provide sanctuary, it can't be overrun by all and sundry without proper reason. Get Dr Schumacher to assist Rodney if he's not already there. He may also have useful information from the Barones." 

John nodded and motioned for Reed to accompany him. He had no interest in going over the trade negotiations and he was certain the lieutenant didn't either. He swiftly negated Reed's request that the remaining members of Lorne's team accompany Sheppard's team to Ke'shanna when its location was found. 

"You'll be back up, along with Stackhouse's and Bates' teams."

"But, Sir–" Reed turned and caught sight of Sheppard's expression. "Yes, Sir."

They parted company, Reed to inform Coughlin and Dr Parrish of the latest development and Sheppard to the main lab.

 

 

"Good. I was just about to send for you." Rodney waved John over. "You said you felt something when you held the key."

He shrugged. "As I told you, it was an echo, or maybe a tug of something. It didn't last long."

"Try again, would you. Careful." Wires connected it to one of the computers.

John took hold of the crystal and concentrated. "Huh." Whatever it was, it felt stronger here and he said so. "But there's nothing definitive."

Several of the scientists chattered excitedly to each other. Dr Schumacher, who was already installed in the lab when Rodney arrived, coughed loudly and raised his voice in an attempt to be heard over the others.

"As I was saying, if Colonel Sheppard sat in the Chair, the readings would be amplified and–"

"Yes, yes, you said. No. We're getting something here. We've already established it seems to only respond to natural gene carriers–"

"It couldn't hurt to try." John spoke up, ignoring the glare he got in return. He looked over his shoulder, favoring Rodney with a raised eyebrow as he headed for the Chair room.

"Oh, very well." Rodney snapped his fingers and followed John out of the room.

Drs Zelenka, Schumacher and Simpson gathered up their equipment and hurried after Rodney and John.

The Chair lit up as John reclined. He clasped the key in one hand.

"Think about the location of Ke'shanna," ordered Rodney. 

John grinned, then closed his eyes and concentrated. When the others exclaimed, he opened them in a hurry. "I guess we should have expected that," he remarked as a holographic representation of the Pegasus galaxy shone above his head.

"And there it is!" Dr Schumacher pointed to a planet that suddenly glowed brighter than the others.

"No, there." That was Simpson. She pointed to where a second planet lit up.

A third and then a fourth began pulsating. More joined them until there were a dozen.

"At least it's only twelve." Schumacher tilted his head and stared at the display. "One supposes they didn't want Ke'shanna to be found too easily."

"Can't you think harder?" suggested Rodney not a little sarcastically.

"Would maybe narrow the search," agreed Zelenka as he examined the readings displayed on his screen.

John shrugged. "Thinking harder," he announced as he complied, although this time he kept his eyes open. 

One after another, the same twelve locations twinkled again. 

"Very well. Confirm those locations and we'll send out teams. Lorne has to be at one of them. We'll be taking that one, Rodney, so make sure you get it right." John pointed to the planet that had glowed last. The odd pulling sensation had increased when it lit up. "I'll inform Elizabeth."

 

 

 

 

"I have to say this isn't how I pictured a sanctuary would look." John squinted at the long arc of the horizon of P67-42X. Nothing obscured his vision. Dark clouds covered the sky and there was only dry, cracked ground as far as the eye could see. He wondered how the other teams were faring. He'd sent the three remaining members of Lorne's team, along with Dr Bolton to the first of the planets to light up. A further four teams were en route to the locations the scientists had listed in order of most promising matches. More teams waited on stand-by.

"It's not very welcoming," agreed Teyla. She shaded her eyes and stared into the distance. Static caused the air to crackle and the loose strands of her hair lifted gently.

"You getting anything?" Ronon loomed over Rodney's shoulder, looking for a telltale blip on the screen. The team knew if Rodney wasn't complaining about the desolation of the place they'd gated to, he must have found something. 

"If I didn't know better, I'd say there was a second Stargate here. The readings are almost identical, but it could be interference. We need to go that way." He flung his arm out and pointed to between two and three o'clock.

Hours later, they stood before a second Stargate. Lightning rent the sky, but no rain fell.

"Aha!" exclaimed Rodney. He forgot his complaints of the previous fifty minutes as he stood before the DHD. "I said this wasn't exactly another Stargate," he shouted over the thunder.

Instead of the complete set of address symbols, a single circle of icons decorated the edge while the center was a hole. Slowly John drew the key from his pocket. He held it out so they could all see. The decorative carvings on the key matched the icons on the DHD and the diameter of the crystal itself was the same shape as the hole.

"You know that sensation I thought I felt? I feel it now. It's definitely stronger. I think I'm supposed to put the key in the hole." Lorne would have felt this, only ten, twenty, one hundred times stronger, John realized.

"Are you sure it's safe? Nothing adds up to fifteen, or twenty-one? Or some other mystical number?" Rodney gave into his sudden panic. 

"There doesn't seem to be any moving parts." Ronon had examined the DHD more closely. "If you're worried, take cover and I'll put the key in."

"I think John should be the one," said Teyla. "He's the closest we have to a Guardian."

"No more discussion," announced John suddenly. The dry storm had played havoc with his nerves as well as everyone else's. He'd had enough of feeling ready to crawl out of his skin. He fitted the key into the hole and took a step back. 

The familiar wave wooshed out, but then it dispersed, and the view they had was neither the event horizon nor the cracked ground on the other side. Now visible through the second ring was a tall arch. Made of stone, it appeared easily thrice Ronon's height. 

"It seems we must enter and then pass through that," said Teyla.

"Nowhere else to go," agreed Ronon.

They hesitated briefly, not used to seeing anything other than the blue event horizon, but when nothing happened, they strode through and swapped one arid landscape for another. 

"At least it's not storming here. The electricity in the air played havoc with the sensors," said Rodney as he scanned the area, which held nothing other than the arch. "Well, what do you know, it's sandstone. Plain and simple sandstone."

"That center stone with the carving, the design matches the one on the back of the key." John pointed up. "Looks like we're still on the right track."  
They formed up again and once more followed where John led. 

"This isn't very welcoming either." Rodney stumbled on the uneven ground. "Shouldn't there be, I don't know, trees and nice grass, a smooth path, maybe?"

"We had this discussion ages ago, Rodney."

"Several times," put in Ronon.

They'd walked along a section of closely packed stones for some time. The rocky cliffs to the sides had quickly closed in and they now trekked along the base of a narrow gorge. Its walls were unnaturally straight. Clumps of flat, dry moss were the only indication of life.

"Yeah, well, it's still relevant."

"I, too, would like to see some grass." Teyla joined in the discussion. "What _would_ you like to see in a sanctuary, Rodney? You've told us many things you would not." Her eyes twinkled.

"I see something I like in a sanctuary," John had gotten some way ahead and could see around a bend, "and you won't believe what it is."

"Please tell me it's not a beach," groaned Rodney. 

"Oh, it's not a beach," confirmed John. He stood still, staring at the view only he could see.

"Definitely not a beach," rumbled Ronon, who'd caught up first.

"What? What is it?" asked Rodney as he hurried up after Teyla. "O-kay. That's really not what I expected. I thought the rest of Lorne's team said they confirmed Ke'shanna wasn't Atlantis."

The four moved a little closer together as they surveyed a duplicate Atlantis, only this one floated in a sea of clouds.

"Must have only had one architect," muttered Rodney as he aimed his scanner skywards, "or they really just loved that design."

"Well, standing around won't solve this mystery," said John after a few minutes.

"One more minute." Rodney touched a few keys and frowned over the data. "Okay. Let's go. I need to be a whole lot closer to get something I can make sense of."

It took a little longer than they expected to make their way to the end of the canyon and down onto the plain below.

"So, how do we get up there?" Ronon raised an eyebrow in Rodney's direction.

"Don't look at me. I can't levitate us. There're enough rocks around. Who knows, there might be enough to construct some sort of ladder or bridge. Or maybe you should run back and bring another team with a jumper. Oh wait, perhaps we should have brought a jumper with us in the first place." He swung around to glare at John. "We should use the jumpers on occasions like this more often. Heaven knows, the MALP confirmed there weren't any forests or something to impede a landing."

They bickered half-heartedly until Teyla suggested they would all think more clearly if they ate something. 

Rodney barely had the wrapper off a power bar when less than five yards away the air swirled in a column of silver.

"Lorne!" 

A chorus of exclamations greeted the figure who suddenly stood before them.

"Colonel Sheppard. Doctor McKay. Teyla. Ronon. Welcome to Ke'shanna. He spoke rapidly, giving them little chance to interrupt. "I've a lot to tell you. It'll take a while to explain everything and we may as well be comfortable." 

In the blink of an eye, the grassy plain vanished and they found themselves in a replica of the Gateroom of Atlantis.

"It's weird, isn't it?" Lorne waved a hand at the empty room. The lack of sound in this Atlantis was almost deafening, used as they'd become to the hustle and bustle of people going about their daily business. Even during the night shift monitors hummed and low-voiced chatter kept the silence at bay. "Let's go into the conference room."

"How did we get here?" Rodney barely waited until they were all seated before starting. "Was it a transporter of some kind?"

"In a moment, Dr McKay." Lorne slipped from the room. He returned with a tray of food and drinks almost before they'd had time to realize he'd gone.

"It's coffee!" Rodney was momentarily distracted from the thought of a Star Trek-style transporter as opposed to their more usual elevator transporters. "Real coffee."

"You'll have to make do with my favorites for the time being," Lorne apologized as he passed around soft cheese, crisp pears and apples, plain crackers and some tart berries that were native to one of the planets where his team had initiated trade relations. 

"The reason you haven't contacted Atlantis is…?" Sheppard got straight to the point as he eyed Lorne and tried to work out exactly what was different about his lately missing executive officer. 

"I can't," said Lorne simply. "Once you step through the second gate and the arch–"

"Don't tell me, we're in an alternate reality." Sheppard gave an exaggerated sigh.

"Actually, it's more like between realities, or rather an outshoot from our reality. As far as I can tell, it's only people from ours who can seek sanctuary here." He held up one hand to forestall Rodney expanding on a technical explanation involving M-theory and the second superstring theory, which none of them would be able to follow, and neatly passed him a refill for his coffee with the other.

"So how do those who seek sanctuary contact their home world while they are here? Such a trek would only be undertaken by a few. How would they know when it was safe to return?" asked Teyla. She bit into a crisp apple and waited for Lorne to enlighten them.

"The Guardian knows." Lorne shrugged. "The Guardian knows," he repeated, "and he sends them home.

"Lorne." 

"Sorry, Colonel. I said I'd explain and I will."

"We're waiting," prompted Sheppard after several minutes as Lorne stared into the distance.

"You've probably worked out I'm a Guardian," began Lorne. He spoke slowly, choosing his words carefully. "Guardianship is a function of the ATA gene. All Guardians have the gene, but not all gene carriers are Guardians. I'm assuming the Barones will have explained about Guardians." When they nodded, he continued, "The various myths and legends that survive aren't too far from the truth. The original Guardians were a genetic experiment by one of the early Ancients. His name was Riorden and he was rather radical in his ideas, although not to the same extent as some of his contemporaries. He seems to have been a fore-thinker and made some predictions about certain trends that didn't sit too well with most of the others. He ended up working alone, trying to devise a way to protect the peoples under his protection and eventually he came up with the idea of a safe place and the Guardians. 

"Many Guardians lived out their lives with their people, never being needed. They could trace their heritage back through generations, with the secret of the key being passed from one gene carrier to the next. They learnt to use the key in case the need to get to Ke'shanna should ever arise. Riorden was a little short-sighted as I don't think he anticipated the size of population increase over time." Lorne waved an arm, indicating the general area of the floating Atlantis. "A lot of this is illusory. He loved Atlantis so much, he couldn't bear to create a sanctuary that would be, in his view, incomplete. So, there actually isn't room here for hundreds of people. He left instructions the Guardians may bring up to three dozen people here at any one time. The rest of the people had to defend and rebuild their world if they survived. If they didn't, well, those who'd found Ke'shanna would be returned when it was safe."

"Oh, come off it, Major Lorne. That's positively idiotic. I don't have the words to describe how wrong that is, but I'll find some. Why, the numbers–"

"Hey! It wasn't my plan!" The strangely serene Guardian Lorne vanished and the old familiar Major, Colonel Sheppard's XO, interrupted Rodney. "Now do you want to hear the rest of it?"

"Yes." Rodney gulped and shut up.

"There are sufficient facilities for thirty-six of each of the dozen worlds Riorden watched over to be here at any one time. Six towers, two worlds per tower. The various labs and other facilities, well, let's say some of them are a little more advanced than those on Atlantis. I haven't starved since I've been here. The greenhouses have a stasis mode that is activated when there's nobody here, and can I say one word that will gladden your hearts when taken in the context of a certain science fiction show beloved of many and not as we know it?"

"Replicators?" John and Rodney said together.

"Replicators," agreed Lorne. He'd worked out quickly enough how to program them to produce his favorite foods. "Soon," he promised as two chairs were pushed back. He didn't bother to hide his smile as John and Rodney reluctantly resumed their seats. 

Sighing deeply, Lorne continued more soberly, "Riorden had no idea the Wraith would become so technologically advanced, or that over time the Guardians would fall to victim to them before they could lead their people to safety."

"I still do not understand which people _you_ guard," said Teyla, her expression puzzled. "It was the Barones' key that recognized you as Guardian and none of you had heard of Ke'shanna prior to this."

Trust Teyla to get to the heart of the matter, thought John. "I'm not following that either," he said. "Unless you're somehow miraculously descended from the Barones?" He raised an eyebrow.

"Actually, that's something else Riorden didn't overly concern himself with." 

John realized he wasn't going to like Lorne's next words. He shifted uncomfortably when he had a sudden inkling what they would be.

"He did realize not all of the human would stick to the rules – after all, his own people didn't. It was more than likely some Guardians would be pressured to take more than the thirty he'd decreed. He also recognized the potential for trouble when more than one group sought sanctuary at the same time, so he created one more Guardian. This one would always be descended directly from his own bloodline and his purpose would be to oversee the others. That's what the key recognized, although I didn't know that's what was happening."

Lorne's gaze locked onto John's. "When I arrived on Atlantis and _felt_ her for the first time, I was amazed, enthralled, excited – you name it. Then there was the experience of flying a puddlejumper, and for the record I'm gutted that there aren't any here, I think I fell in love and I was pretty darned grateful for my ATA gene. But when I understood I was getting a lesser degree of what you get, I was jealous. Why, when my gene was practically as strong as yours, wasn't I getting what you got?"

John winced. He couldn't help the strength of his gene any more than Lorne could. He had to hand it to his XO for never once letting his feelings affect their relationship.

"When I initially picked up the Barones' key, there was something. I felt drawn to it, I didn't want to put it down. What started out as, how can I explain it, a sense of ownership that the key was _mine_ is the closest I can get. Anyway, it got stronger. I went to bed at the same time as my team. I know that, and I know I fell asleep. The next thing I knew, I was standing in museum holding the key to Ke'shanna. I knew it wasn't a copy. It was the real thing and I knew where I had to take it. Even diluted by generations, Riorden's programming remained strong enough to do its job." 

Teyla slid Lorne's glass toward him. His hand shook as he downed the remainder of the water.

"Thanks," he murmured, then cleared his throat and continued. "I don't remember getting to the gate, and dialing the coordinates of P67-42X feels more like a dream. By the way, each of Riorden's keys dials to a different starting planet. You'll find they are all unoccupied. They're not completely inhospitable as the trek had to be achievable. To cut a long story short, this place recognized me as being the Guardians' Guardian, so to speak. Over time, Riorden fathered a couple of junior Ancients, who did some begetting of their own, but along the way someone forgot to pass on the information about Ke'shanna and its supreme Guardian. His progeny went off to the Milky Way galaxy with the rest of the Ancients and, well, here I am."

"Damned Ancients and their grand experiments," muttered Rodney. "So, can I look at the replicators before going back to Atlantis?"

"You can look, but you won't be able to take any technology back with you that you didn't bring. Prime Directive and all that," said Lorne apologetically. "The artificial intelligence wipes everything. The towers are constructed so they resemble the natural landscapes of the various worlds. It's all very restful, as one would expect a sanctuary to be and you'd never pick it as holographic. I'll show you later."

"What about using this as an alpha or a beta site? You can take thirty-six of our people here. Why not?" John protested when Lorne didn't immediately agree to the proposition.

"The Lanteans are not Riorden's people," said Teyla. "Neither are the Athosians," she added sadly.

Lorne silently blessed Teyla's understanding and sent her a thankful look as she dealt with the colonel's protests.

Ronon broke the awkward silence that fell after John and Teyla ran out of arguments and counterarguments. "You can't leave, can you?" 

"Lorne?" 

"Sorry, Colonel. Riorden somehow linked the chief Guardian to the city. I must stay here and do the job for which I was destined. Keep Ke'Shanna safe. Keep Riorden's people safe."

"What about Doctor Beckett?" suggested Teyla.

Rodney snapped his fingers. "All those years of playing with mice must have taught Carson something useful. If the Guardianship is linked to the ATA gene, maybe he can turn it off or override it."

Lorne shook his head. "No. He won't be able to. Besides, I need to stay here. Actually, I need you to do something for me." He waited until he had their full attention before continuing. "I need you to take new keys to those of Riorden's people who remain. Find gene carriers to become new Guardians. Make sure they all understand Riorden's rules – that Ke'shanna is only for those in need of sanctuary. Tell them Ke'shanna's own new Guardian will know if they abuse the privilege and if they do, I will not let them in."

John had already decided to let Carson see whether there was anything he could do, he just needed to work out how to get him to Ke'shanna when Lorne addressed him directly.

"You'll have to report me as MIA. I prepared for that eventuality after the first week on Atlantis. You'll find everything is in order."

"Could we not arrange to have your personal possessions brought here to you?" asked Teyla when John eventually backed down in the face of Lorne's determination.

"Your team would like the chance to see you," said Ronon. "They could bring your things. The Lashanens can wait an extra day or two before getting their key back."

"I'd like that, but you can return their key as per your agreement. I've had an idea that should make you happy. There's a key for one of the worlds the Wraith have wiped out. I will get it to accept Colonel Sheppard as the new Guardian. You'll then be able to use this as a beta site as it will be only for thirty-six and they can't take any technology back with them," reiterated Lorne as he stared fixedly at Rodney. "I mean it, McKay."

"No technology," agreed Rodney perfunctorily. "Now can we look at the replicators and the transporter?"

 

John brought a small contingent with him when he returned to Lorne's floating city. Lorne's team, Dr Beckett, Dr Zelenka and several of the scientists as well as Elizabeth accompanied him.

Reed, Coughlin and Dr Parrish fell upon Lorne with much back slapping and arm punching, but even they were unable to convince Lorne to find someone else to take on the job of guarding Ke'shanna. Reed insisted 'Lorne's team' had a better ring to it the 'Reed's team' and they'd be without a gene carrier as there weren't any among the unassigned marines.

Elizabeth maintained she was there in her role as diplomat and negotiator for Atlantis' new status as one of Riorden's twelve, although she spent more time with the anthropologist, poking around the section of the tower that had been originally reserved for the Terrezelles and which would shortly be altered to accommodate the Lanteans and less time negotiating.

Dr Zelenka had brought several computers, hoping the modifications he and Rodney had made would prevent whatever he was able to upload from being wiped by the Ke'shanna intelligence, but they were doomed to disappointment.

Dr Parrish had raptures over the greenhouses and begged to remain behind. He avowed he was prepared to give up publishing his current research for a chance to stay and, glancing over to Lorne, cited articles from a psychology journal about the effects of isolation on one's psyche. The references tripped off his tongue with such ease nobody was prepared to question him as to their existence. 

In the short time available to him, Dr Beckett wasn't able to work a miracle and reluctantly informed John that Lorne would be remaining on Ke'shanna for the foreseeable future. He kept a serious expression on his face and his tone as believable as that of Dr Parrish, even quoting a few journal references of his own to support Dr Parrish's ongoing presence on Ke'shanna. 

With everyone's approval, Lorne finally gave in and admitted he'd be glad of the company. They laughed when Dr Parrish flushed guiltily and produced a bag carrying his own things. 

"Are you sure you've got everything?" joked Coughlin. The team had taken some time to train Parrish keep his pack to a manageable weight for missions.

It was a somber group who gathered ready for Lorne to transport them to the surface. It would be many months before they saw him or Dr Parrish again unless the Wraith threat became overwhelming. Sheppard, Reed and Coughlin stood tall and saluted as they and the others disappeared in a swirl of silver.

"Do you think they'll stick to the rules?" wondered Parrish. "You know, not come back every week for another look or something. Dr Zelenka was pretty excited over some stuff he found. And what about the others, the Barones, for example?"

Lorne shook his head. "They'll learn soon enough. So, would you like to start with the large greenhouse on the ground floor of the East pier?"

END

_Acceptance of one's life has nothing to do with resignation; it does not mean running away from the struggle. On the contrary, it means accepting it as it comes, with all the handicaps of heredity, of suffering, of psychological complexes and injustices._   
Paul Tournier


End file.
